Upon my 16th birthday some 28 years ago, I was gifted a rare instrument: a 1977 Ibanez 2626B Artist Bass. Lacking both the truss rod cover and the internet, it was years before I knew its age and identity. But I knew I wanted another one.
Alas, scarcity and economics hindered my quest until now. While conducting my semi-regular sweep of eBay, I found another Artist for auction (though the BIN was a bit steep!) and knew it would be mine. And so it came to pass.
And here’s the pair:
Now, granted, this is not a common instrument. But here’s the unicorn moment, and why I was determined to bring it home:
Consecutive.
Serial.
Numbers.
That’s my baby on the left, and the new kid on the right.
I still can’t believe it myself. Yes, it plays great - it’s a MIJ Ibanez after all. But it sounds terrific, too - with much less of the zany tones that Artist basses are known for. Not sure if that’s from the nicely worn in roundwounds or just more unicorn magic, but this one’s a keeper.
Alas, scarcity and economics hindered my quest until now. While conducting my semi-regular sweep of eBay, I found another Artist for auction (though the BIN was a bit steep!) and knew it would be mine. And so it came to pass.
And here’s the pair:
Consecutive.
Serial.
Numbers.
I still can’t believe it myself. Yes, it plays great - it’s a MIJ Ibanez after all. But it sounds terrific, too - with much less of the zany tones that Artist basses are known for. Not sure if that’s from the nicely worn in roundwounds or just more unicorn magic, but this one’s a keeper.
.
